Author Archives: Sara Ainsworth
Visceral visuals vital to vanquish varied violence
Monday, violence hit home once again. The explosions that went off at the Boston Marathon eerily mirror the Oklahoma City bombings almost exactly 18 years ago. The images taken at the scene are visceral and haunting, and there has been no attempt to shield the general public from them. The front page of CNN was [...]
NCAA culture of impunity a threat to university life
In March 2010, LaMichael James was charged with menacing, strangulation, and assault of his ex-girlfriend. In February 2011, Darrell Williams was charged with rape and sexual battery. In December 2012, Michael Carter-Williams was charged with shoplifting. What do all of these cases have in common? Every one of these men is or was an NCAA [...]
Arabic department mimics chaos of Tahrir Square
Since I can remember, I have wanted to study Arabic. The Arab world has always had some inexplicable draw for me: I am fascinated by its culture, food, and history. So when I chose to attend Georgetown, I immediately enrolled in Intensive Modern Standard Arabic.
Historic papal resignation opens path to modernity
When Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation I was surprised, to say the least. As most people are aware, the papacy is a modern-day monarchy with its leaders ruling for life.
Tornadoes and hurricanes and earthquakes oh my!
The most riveting entertainment, besides the carnal details of Silvio Berlusconi’s life, comes from The Weather Channel. Like any teenage soap, the direction of events on The Weather Channel are somewhat nonsensical and there’s always a plot twist at the end. As a small child who was clearly above the pettiness of morning cartoons, I would spend hours watching the weather and attempting to understand the patterns.
Literally drowning one’s sorrows, Mayan apocalypse style
In 17 days, the Earth as we know it will no longer exist. Following the Mayans prediction, we will all perish on Dec. 21, 2012. Those that are unfortunate enough to be some of the last to die will watch everything that mankind has built crumble in front of them.
Happiness is a warm, but ignored, mark of success
Holidays are a stressful time; there are drunken relatives, nagging relatives, and generally just a lot of relatives. Inevitably they corral the younger generation to talk about their lives and their daily routines. More often than not, they complain about how stressful work is or how there’s something missing. Very rarely does one hear, “I’m [...]
Disenfranchised doyenne fumes at dark side of democracy
The U.S. is infamous for its low voter turnout. The Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance ranks it 120th out of 169 voting countries, putting it behind such bastions of democracy as Bahrain, Iran, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It’s a commonly held belief that low voter turnout rates are due to apathy, [...]
America’s heirs apparent actually important, need to be sane
In less than three weeks Americans will go to the polls with but one idea in mind: who will be the next president of the United States. Little thought will be given to the name that sits almost inconspicuously below “President”: that of “Vice President.” This is a huge mistake. Few Americans seem to remember [...]
Adrift in a sea of causes, Occupy needs to set a course
October 1st marked the one-year anniversary of Occupy D.C. and, in celebration of the movement, the group occupied a number of lobbying firms, banks, etc. around K Street. The lobbying firm where I work was one of them. The events of the day were as follows: about 20 protesters arrived at 9:30 a.m. to protest [...]
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